


Supernova

by redbluezero



Series: Red's SAO Prideweek 2020 Fics [7]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25927036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbluezero/pseuds/redbluezero
Summary: Kyouji spends the night at Shino's apartment. She finds out that he has a squick.
Relationships: Asada Shino | Sinon/Shinkawa Kyouji | Spiegel
Series: Red's SAO Prideweek 2020 Fics [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864996
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3
Collections: SAO Pride Week 2020





	Supernova

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day seven - free day.

Shino woke up to the sound of cars outside her window, as per usual. Somehow, for as long as she’d lived in the city, she still hadn’t gotten used to the noise and was easily roused by the sounds of tires running across gravel. Giving in, she decided to force her eyes open so she could get ready for the day. However, that was when she remembered that she wasn’t alone in the bed. Kyouji had come over and spent the night.

Awkwardly, Shino pried her limbs from off of him. She dragged each one off slowly, cursing herself for somehow managing to wrap herself around his body in her sleep. The last thing she wanted was to wake him, so she was extra careful about her movements, but the fruits of her labor did not pay off. A few moments later, Kyouji opened his eyes and let out a big yawn. He rolled over to face Shino, effectively breaking her embrace, and smiled widely.

“G’morning,” he said happily. Contrary to his tone, though, he sat up groggily and yawned again. His dark circles looked worse than usual. Shino felt bad about waking him up, but it wasn’t as if he could go back to sleep; the night before, she had (regretfully) discovered that he had difficulties with dozing off.

“Good morning, Kyouji-kun. Sorry if I woke you,” she muttered as she hopped off of the bed and walked to her dresser. She quickly opened a drawer and plucked out some clothes. Meanwhile, Kyouji stretched his arms above his head and yawned a final time before getting up himself. He then picked up his green backpack off of the floor and walked to the bathroom.

“I’m gonna go change, okay?” he called out to Shino. She gave him a small nod, to which he replied by closing the door. She followed suit and quickly got dressed for the day. She had a pair of cargo shorts about half way up her legs when Kyouji called out to her again.

“Hey, Shino? Can you come here a sec?” he asked, though his voice was a bit muffled from behind the door. Without giving it a second thought, Shino made her way over to the bathroom. He stood in front of the sink with two small, green packets (that kind of looked like mints) in his left hand. He’d since changed out of the baggy t-shirt he’d slept in and into his binder, though he had a pensive look on his face. Shino noticed it in the mirror and asked,

“What’s wrong, Kyouji-kun?” He turned around to face her, though he didn’t look her in the eyes. He seemed reluctant to speak up.

“Um… Could you… stay here as I do this?” he asked, fumbling with his words. Shino raised an eyebrow. She noticed him tense the hand with the packets in it. She knew well what was inside them; topical testosterone gel, a medication that Kyouji had been taking for quite some time.

“I mean, I don’t mind, but what for?” Shino replied. It wasn’t an odd request, but she wondered if he just wanted her to sit and watch or if there was more to it. It became clear that it was the latter, as he started to fidget.

“I know it sounds weird, but this stuff feels kind of…  _ bad _ to the touch, y’know?” he explained as he tore open the first packet. The plastic didn’t come apart completely, so a bunch of gel spilled onto his fingers in a disorderly manner. He let out a small groan as he quickly pressed it to his shoulder.

“Then why do you use the gel? Why not shots?” Shino asked, trying to be sympathetic. She really had no idea how to respond, but she wanted to support her boyfriend in any way she could. He replied with a pout.

“I think you and I have seen enough syringes to last a lifetime,” Kyouji muttered as he rubbed the gel in a circle, making sure it spread evenly so it dried quicker. He framed it as a complaint, but he’d said it otherwise nonchalantly. Shino was glad that enough time had passed that they were able to joke about the incident with each other, but she couldn’t help but touch a finger to her neck for a moment after his remark.

“Ah, true… Um, so you don’t like the texture of gel-like stuff? You seemed fine when we went to that full dive café all those years ago,” she asked, changing the subject. Kyouji suddenly burst into an embarrassed blush.

“Well, that’s because it wasn’t touching my palms. I kept my hands above the liquid at all times. Besides, I had to meet with you, so…” he tried to explain his thought process. It clearly flustered him a bit, since he’d implied that he could do anything as long as it was for her sake, but Shino was glad that he trusted her enough to admit something like that. She let the new information bounce around in her head for a moment before continuing,

“So it only feels bad if it touches your palms?” Kyouji nodded feebly. He then squeezed some gel onto his right hand and lathered it on his left shoulder. He frowned in disgust as he did so.

“I get that. It’s like when I touch coarse things,” Shino replied softly. She then walked over to Kyouji, kneeled down, and kissed him on the small of his back. She wanted to comfort him, at the very least. He jolted for a second, surprised by her action, but he quickly settled into her touch. Realizing he was okay with it, she grabbed him by the waist.

“Haha, I guess we’re opposites in that regard,” Kyouji chuckled. Already, he was smiling despite the fact that he’d only just used up the first packet of gel. He quickly opened the second and squeezed out about half before putting it back in the plastic bag he’d brought it in.

“You wouldn’t last a second in the kitchen, what with all the cooking oils. You’re lucky you have me,” Shino spoke, her forehead still pressed to Kyouji’s back. She put on a smirk to go with her teasing, though she was genuinely happy that her boyfriend seemed to be in better spirits. He’d already forgotten the discomfort of the sticky substance on his hands.

“Oh no, we’re going to turn into a nuclear family!” he joked along with her. Their joined sense of humor was sarcastic and quirky, as if it were a language only the two of them spoke. They loved their dynamic; it made their conversations all the more interesting.

“Relax, we’re safe. I’m wearing  _ cargo  _ shorts,” Shino replied dramatically, putting emphasis on the exact type of pants. Kyouji laughed even harder— she could feel his chuckles vibrate from his lower back— and then replied,

“Is that what you were putting on before I called you? Because you’re still in your underwear, you know.” Shino’s eyes widened in shock at that remark and the mood shifted. She looked down at her legs and, surely enough, there were no cargo shorts. They must’ve fallen when she ran over to Kyouji. It was  _ her _ turn to grow embarrassed.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen each other naked before. Somehow, they’d managed to be intimate a few times in the past. However, it hadn’t been an easy feat. Shino’s PTSD made it difficult for her to touch people and allow men to touch her. Kyouji’s gender dysphoria made him uncomfortable in his body and he was reluctant to expose himself. Needless to say, it wasn’t a common occurrence— but they made it work.

That was sort of how their entire relationship functioned; they made it work. None of their friends understood it, but that was because it was full of secret intricacies that only Shino and Kyouji knew.

“Alright, you can go put on those cargo shorts now, I’m done here,” he broke the silence awkwardly, moving his hands from off of his shoulders and using his wrist to open the sink. Shino nodded and quickly pulled away from him. She then skittered over to the bathroom door. Just as she was about to leave, though, Kyouji said sincerely,

“Thanks for keeping me company.”

Shino looked back at him with a smile.

“Any time.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually the first pride week fic I started, lol. It's also the most self indulgent out of all of them because I literally just projected an issue I have onto Kyouji and then made Shino, my comfort character, help him with it, wow... I'm so sneaky, guys... Also I'd like to assume this is set some years after the events of Phantom Bullet but this was one of those fics where I let myself be vague for once. No exposition, only domestic fluff!  
> This year's pride week was fun, thank you to everyone who participated!


End file.
